Law Without a Map: Careers, Choices and an AI Future

Workshop Overview

What does it take to build a successful and fulfilling career in law? How do we make the right career decisions, navigate unexpected opportunities and prepare for a profession that is changing rapidly with the rise of artificial intelligence?

This interactive workshop brings together two generations of legal professionals, offering different but complementary perspectives on career development, professional success and the future of the legal industry.

Drawing on their personal experiences, David and Alex Eatough will explore the choices, challenges and opportunities that shape a legal career, from the first steps after university to the transformative impact of AI on legal practice.

1. Introductions

The workshop will begin with introductions from the speakers and students, creating an opportunity to share backgrounds, interests and expectations.

David Eatough has enjoyed an international legal and financial career spanning more than four decades. His experience includes serving as General Counsel and a Board member of the European Stability Mechanism, working as a partner at Clifford Chance in Singapore, London, Tokyo and Bucharest, pursuing investment banking in New York and London, and practising as a barrister in England.

Alex Eatough is a UK-qualified solicitor working for BMC Helix, a subsidiary of a major US software company. He currently leads the adoption of AI tools and the development of AI agents within the legal department, placing him at the forefront of technological change in the profession.

2. David Eatough - Career Choices, Life Lessons and Sliding Doors Moments 

Rather than presenting a traditional career history, David will reflect on the defining moments, unexpected opportunities and difficult decisions that shaped his professional journey.

Through real-life examples, he will explore four key themes:

1. Be street-wise

2. Make the best of everything, including yourself

3. It's not all about the money

4. Broaden your horizons

Throughout the session, David will discuss the concept of "sliding doors" moments: the seemingly small choices or unexpected events that can fundamentally change the direction of a career.

He will also reflect on what he wishes he had known between the ages of 21 and 26, when he was beginning his professional life after Oxford.

Students will be encouraged to consider what they want from their own careers, which factors they can control and how to respond constructively to those they cannot.

3. Alex Eatough - Artificial Intelligence and the Future of the Legal Profession 

Alex will offer a perspective from a younger generation of legal professionals, focusing on the opportunities and challenges created by artificial intelligence.

He will begin by sharing his own journey into law and explaining why he made a conscious decision to engage with AI at an early stage, both out of personal fascination and because he recognised its potential to fundamentally reshape professional services.

The discussion will cover three main areas:

1. The legal profession's response to AI

2. AI in practice: from tools to intelligent agents

3. What comes next?

Students will be invited to discuss whether AI represents a threat or an opportunity for aspiring lawyers, how legal education and training may need to evolve and what they can do now to prepare for a rapidly changing profession.

Complimentary afternoon tea will be served to all attendees.

We would appreciate it if you could register your RSVP using the 'Registration Form'. 

Only 35 spaces are available for the workshop. Don’t miss out!

Venue: Seminar Room J, Faculty of Law
Time and Date: 2:00 to 4:00 PM | 12 November